Masquerade
by NessaroseEast
Summary: The name 'Rosebleed' carries a heavy weight, and Lizzie, cousin of Sirius Black, is entering her first year of Hogwarts. Follow her through her seven years, avoiding prefects, watching quidditch, and even playing pranks.


**A/N: This will be a multi chapter story. My updates will be sporadic, so I suggest alerting this story so you will know when I have updated it. Please criticize my story in any way you see fit; I would like to become a better writer. I would also like to ask for suggestions to progress the story. I cannot promise everything will end up in here, but I will take everything into consideration. Thank you for reading this story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any way.**

Chapter 1

I tried to ignore all of the other first years that were running up and down the corridor as I sat in my own compartment reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Why can't those kids just shut up? I sighed and closed my book. I stared out the window, resting my chin on my fist. I wished the train ride could go faster, but Nigel did say that it would seem like it took forever. I sighed and settled my back against the window. I closed my eyes and tried to take a nap.

A light knocking on the door roused me from my half awake slumber. I groaned and, without opening my eyes, said, "Nigel, go away, I'm trying to sleep."

"I think you might have the wrong person," a voice said kindly.

I opened my eyes and stared at the black-haired, grey-eyed boy standing in the doorway.

"Err… Hello?" I said unsure.

He smiled and said, "I believe we've met several times before?" I nodded. "Well allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Sirius Black." He extended his hand, palm up.

I smirked and replied, "Lizzie Rosebleed." I placed my hand in his and he bowed slightly, bringing my hand to his lips, allowing them to lightly touch my skin. He gave me my hand back and sat opposite me.

"Why are you sitting here with me, Sirius?"

"Nowhere else to sit," Sirius said casually, shifting his position until he was comfortably lounging on the seat. "Besides, that James Potter sitting down the train was being a real prick."

"What was he doing?"

"He was picking on a kid with black hair and his Mudblood girlfriend."

"Don't say that word."

"Why not?"

"It's not a very nice word to call them. Please just refer to them as Muggle-borns."

He looked at me and smiled slightly. "Sure. So, aren't you my cousin or something?"

"Yeah, I'm your cousin on your father's side, my mother's."

"So your Mum and my Dad are related?"

I nodded and he just smiled at me.

"How about we just be friends?" he asked.

I liked that idea. "Sure."

Sirius lounged back and stared out the window. I grabbed my book and started reading again.

"So, who's Nigel?" Sirius asked curiously.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You mentioned someone named Nigel."

"Oh." I could feel my face heating up. "He's my older brother."

Sirius smirked at me. "Your face is bright red."

I glared at him. "Don't change the subject! Besides, you would know that we are related if you looked at the Black Family Tree."

Sirius frowned and said, "I don't really care who I'm related to, I just need to know who my first cousins are."

"Who are they?" I asked.

"Er, Bellatrix, she's already graduated Hogwarts, Andromeda, she's in her last year, and Narcissa, she's in her fifth year. What year is your brother in?"

"Fifth. Do you have any siblings?"

"Yeah, a younger brother. His name is Regulus."

"When will he go to Hogwarts?"

"Next year."

I giggled and he glared at me. "What's so funny?"

I giggled again and said, "I have to deal with my brother for three years, but you have to deal with yours for six!"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. I quickly straightened my clothes as Sirius went to the compartment door.

"Yes?" he asked after he opened it a crack.

I heard a timid voice mumble, "There isn't any room anywhere else and I was wondering if I could sit with you."

"Yeah, sure," Sirius said, and I could hear the smile in his voice as he talked. He opened the door and stepped aside as a sandy-haired boy walked in, dragging his trunk in as well. I smiled and stood, extending my hand.

"I'm Lizzie Rosebleed," I said as he put his trunk in the overhead rack.

"Remus Lupin," he replied, placing his hand in mine and shaking hands. When he let go, I said, "And that's Sirius Black." I nodded at Sirius and Sirius nodded back at Remus.

"Hey, Lizzie," Sirius said, sitting back down.

"What?"

"Er, well, I still need to change into my Hogwarts robes, so, could you step out so I can change?" His cheeks were slightly pink and he grinned sheepishly at me.

I smiled and said, "Sure."

"I should go, too," said Remus, standing.

"No, I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind," said Sirius hurriedly.

"Alright," replied Remus nervously, sitting back down.

I stood up and walked out the door, walking right into the middle of a bunch of fifth-years. The compartment door slid shut behind me and made a small thud as it slid into place. The group of fifth-years turned to look at me, probably to taunt me, thinking I was just another stupid first-year that they could pick on.

I glared at them and said, "Can't you guys go and stand in front of someone else's compartment? I kind of need to get out and get back in easily."

A tall, blonde, long-haired boy strode foreword with an air of arrogance.

"And why should we listen to you, Miss…?" he drawled out.

"Rosebleed," I replied coldly. "Elizabeth Rosebleed. And you are?"

"Lucius Malfoy," he said, smirking, extending his hand. I stared at it for a moment or two and he eventually brought it back to his side. "Well, then," he continued. "Nigel, you ought to teach your sister her place in these ranks: the bottom."

Most of the group around and behind Malfoy burst out laughing, while I just glared at them. I spotted Nigel standing in their midst and he gave me a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"So, what are you doing out here, _Malfoy_?" I asked him, glaring.

Still smirking, Malfoy replied, "It's none of your business, girl."

I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying something I would regret later.

Suddenly, the door behind me slid open and I turned, coming face-to-face with Sirius.

"What's going on?" he asked me. Then he saw Malfoy and his friends standing around behind me. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What do you want, Malfoy?" he sighed.

I turned to look at Malfoy as he said, "It's none of your business, Black."

"It is my business when you're outside our compartment."

"We weren't doing anything," Malfoy replied.

"Really?" Sirius asked, mock surprise tainting his voice. "I would imagine that you were picking on someone half your size and 'inferior' to you."

Malfoy glared at him and mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. He made a gesture toward the group behind him and walked away down the corridor, his friends following. In the space where they were standing, a boy with black hair and a hooked nose and a girl with long red hair and bright green eyes were standing, back-to-back, a bit ruffled, but perfectly fine.

"Hey," Sirius said gently, concern lacing his voice. "Are you two alright?"

The girl began to say something, but the boy cut her off.

"We didn't need your help!" he said. "We were doing fine until you showed up."

I was taken aback and Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"You're not a pureblood, are you?" he asked, and I glared at him.

"So what?" said the boy. "We don't need help from snobby, spoiled, pureblood brats!"

Sirius smirked and said, "I wouldn't think as much. You would be great in Gryffindor."

I grinned at the horrified look on the boy's face as Sirius pulled me into the compartment. I sat down in my corner seat, giggling softly behind my hand.

Sirius sat opposite me and called out, "If you want, you can came and sit with us."

The girl immediately walked in, dragging her trunk behind her, but the boy was more hesitant. Remus helped the girl put her trunk up in the racks, while Sirius helped the boy.

Sirius sat down, looking slightly tired, as though he had done something strenuous, and Remus sat beside me.

"Well, sit," Sirius said none too kindly, gesturing to the remaining seats. They both sat, the girl sitting on the edge of her seat and the boy sitting back, but tense, as though expecting us to attack either of them at any second.

"What are your names?" I finally asked.

The girl leaned forward to see Remus and looked at me. "I'm Lily. Lily Evans," she said. "And he's Severus Snape."

I smiled at them and said, "It's nice to meet you." Sirius nodded with his eyes closed. "I'm Lizzie Rosebleed, this is Remus Lupin," I gestured at him and he nodded to them. "And he is Sirius Black."

Sirius opened his eyes and stared blankly at them. "So what were you doing out there with Malfoy?"

Severus glared at him and replied angrily, "We weren't doing anything with him. He cornered us after we left Potter's compartment."

Sirius grinned at him and said, "Yeah, he does that."

I rolled my eyes at him and picked up my book, continued reading. I could feel my eyelids deign to droop. There was a knock at the door and I jerked awake and groaned. The door slid open.

An old woman kindly asked, "Anything from the trolley, dearies?"

I smiled at her and shook my head. Sirius jumped up and walked over to the door.

"Yes, I believe we would," he said to her, pulling out a handful of galleons. I glanced at Lily, who had her mouth wide open. Remus appeared to notice as well because he carefully pushed her bottom jaw up, closing her mouth.

I sat back and Sirius closed the door, successfully dropping several treats. He dumped the candy in his arms into the one empty seat next to Severus. Lily bent over and picked the dropped candies up, and Sirius went to help her.

"You didn't have to do that," he said to her. "And there are several reasons for that. One, I dropped them, so I should pick them up. Two, you are a young woman, and I am a young man, so you should allow me to do these things without partaking in them. And three, you make it blatantly obvious that you are a Muggle-born."

I frowned and smacked Sirius over the head several times and he tried to protect himself with his arms. After a minute I stopped and sat back. By then, Lily had sat back in her seat and Severus was seething, ready to hit Sirius for offending Lily.

Sirius stood up and turned to me glaring. "What was that for?" he asked angrily. "At least I didn't call her a Mudblood."

I smacked Sirius with my book again and said, "What is your problem? Don't hurt the girl's feelings! That's not very gentlemanly-like."

I sat back and settled into my seat, staring at the pages of my book without really seeing them. I eventually closed my eyes and fell asleep.

I woke to Sirius shaking my shoulders.

"Hey," he said. "You've got to change still, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," I said, yawning. Sirius left the compartment and I realized that it was totally empty, except for me. I stretched and quickly pulled down my trunk. I took out my Hogwarts robes and swiftly changed into them. I put my trunk back into the rack and jumped slightly when a voice began to talk from nowhere.

"We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave all luggage and pets on the train."

I grinned, jumping on the balls of my feet; I was so excited. I went to the compartment door and slid it open. I looked down the corridor on both sides, but saw no one. I frowned and went back into the compartment. I looked out the window, but all I could see was black nothingness.

Suddenly, the lights went out and arms grabbed from behind and I struggled. I glanced behind me, but couldn't see whoever grabbed me. I realized that they weren't being rough with me, so I stopped struggling.

"Let me go," I demanded.

"Or what?" Nigel's voice said.

"Or I'll lick you where it really hurts," I replied smoothly.

Nigel immediately let me go and turned the lights back on.

"How do you do that?" I asked curiously.

"Do what?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Make the light go on and off."

"Magic." He smirked at me and turned to leave.

"Wait, Nigel," I called after him. He paused in the doorway, the door open wide.

"What did you come here for?"

He smiled sweetly at me and replied, "I wanted to give you the best of luck."

I began to reply, but he cut me off before I could say anything.

"I also want to tell you that I'll love you no matter what house you get sorted into."

I smiled at him and he left. I could feel the train to slow down, and Sirius, Severus, Lily, and Remus all filed back in, all of them wearing their Hogwarts robes. The train eventually stopped, and when it did, we all got off, ready for the school year to begin.

**A/N: I know that Sirius is very OOC, but in this story, most of the characters will be. If you don't like that, I recommend not reading the rest of the story. Thank you all for reading.**


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